Social media trends have a way of taking over our lives, the latest ones, #GirlDinner or #GirlMath have become so popular. These “memes” are funny and can be relatable, but they are also deep if you truly think about them. Are these trends harmless fun or do they actually reflect some of the stereotypes that women deal with on a day to day basis.
#GirlMath is basically how girls justify spending their money, for example skipping their daily Starbucks makes a new pair of jeans free. This well known hashtag is all in good fun but it truly does make me wonder; is this about owning how women spend their money or does it feed into the exhausting stereotype that women don’t know how to manage their money.
#GirlDinner is all about lazy means that women throw together when they are too lazy to cook a proper meal. Picture a plate of cheese, crackers and a few grapes. This can be seen as a silly joke but is it really a flex? Or is this a sign that women are too overwhelmed with their daily lives to take proper care of themselves and then making a joke out of what could be a real eating disorder/ struggle.
So lets be real; these trends may initially come across as funny, but at the same time they might be reinforcing some pretty old-school ideas about women. Take #GirlMath, its funny when your’ joking with your friends, but theres a thin line between laughing with us and laughing at us. The idea that women cant handle money isn’t new and it most definitely isn’t true, so are we flipping the script or playing into it?
And with #GirlDinner, its great to see people embracing simplicity, but its also sad to see that so many women feel that this is all they can manage. Or some women may be eating a proper meal and scroll on TikTok and see a #GirlDinner of a few snacks and then feel poorly about themselves, when in all reality a proper meal is the healthy route.
The bottom line is that these trends can show how creative women can be but they can also highlight some of the real life struggles they deal with. Next time your scrolling on TikTok and see one of these trends or hashtags, maybe take a second to think. Are these a funny joke or is there something deeper going on? Either way, its definitely something worth talking about.
#GirlDinner #GirlMath
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